


went the distance now I’m back on my feet

by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel



Series: Red in tooth and claw [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Phil Coulson, Family, Family Reunions, Gen, Reunions, Revelations, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Velociraptors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-20 09:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2423696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel/pseuds/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What happened?” Phil asked, and was annoyed when he slurred a bit. “After Loki.”</p><p>Maria’s mouth twisted slightly, but she didn’t hesitate to respond.</p><p>“You were injected with some of my blood,” she said matter-of-factly. “Congratulations, Phil. You’re a were-velociraptor.”</p><p>Phil let that sink in.</p><p>“Oh,” he said helplessly, and then, “I suppose that’s fair revenge for letting myself get killed.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	went the distance now I’m back on my feet

**went the distance now I’m back on my feet**

Phil slowly drifted into consciousness.

It took him a while to realised that he was lying on a bed, with an uncomfortable feeling in his left arm that told him that he was on an IV. It took even longer to remember _why_ , but eventually he recalled his confrontation with Loki… and then, his final words to Fury…

He should be dead. He shouldn’t be in a hospital bed feeling drained and antsy, but undoubtedly alive.

Phil opened his eyes, blinking blearily.

A moment later a feather duster entered his field of vision, jiggling in a way that was distinctly irritating. Phil snapped at it with his jaws, and froze.

That wasn’t a normal reaction.

“Well, that settles it,” said a familiar voice, and Phil turned his head to see Maria sitting beside him with a wry smile, although why she was wielding a feather duster he had no idea.

“What happened?” Phil asked, and was annoyed when he slurred a bit. “After Loki.”

Maria’s mouth twisted slightly, but she didn’t hesitate to respond.

“You were injected with some of my blood,” she said matter-of-factly. “Congratulations, Phil. You’re a were-velociraptor.”

Phil let that sink in.

“Oh,” he said helplessly, and then, “I suppose that’s fair revenge for letting myself get killed.”

“Damn straight,” said Maria, but her expression was softer than her words.

* * *

Fury and Maria’s idea of convalescence was to send Phil out to live with Maria’s family to acclimatise to being a were-velociraptor. Phil was there for several months, and in that time he learnt a number of things, such how to win a fight in velociraptor form against another were-velociraptor, how to hunt prey, and how to stop yourself from lashing out when Maria’s two-year-old nephew deliberately bit the end of your tail. Overall, it was a valuable experience.

Phil vowed to hold it against them for the rest of his life.

* * *

“You told my family I was dead?” Phil asked, appalled.

Fury only raised a ‘do not cross me’ eyebrow. Phil was starting to find out why even Maria tended to do what Fury said; somehow, despite not being a were-velociraptor himself, the moment Fury turned a gimlet eye on him and barked out an order Phil found, to his chagrin, that his brain identified Fury as some kind of pack-leader. Fury, Phil thought, would make a _nasty_ were-velociraptor.

“You were dead, Phil,” Fury said meaningfully. “If you didn’t want your family to think you were dead, you shouldn’t have gotten yourself killed.” He gave Phil another look.

“Look, I’ll come with you, just in case you lose control under stress,” said Maria bluntly.

“If I can stop myself from gutting a kid for biting me on the tail, I can handle my family,” Phil said.

Maria smiled a smile that wasn’t really a smile, but a display of teeth.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, Coulson.”

Phil resisted the urge to snarl. He sighed, instead.

“You realise that if you come with me, everyone’s going to think you’re my significant other?” he pointed out.

For a moment Maria’s face was blank. Then she shrugged.

“I’ve been in worse situations,” she said darkly. Phil very deliberately did not ask.

Presumably because they hated him, Fury and Maria decided that Phil would visit his family on Christmas Day, so that he could tell everyone at once that he was still alive. Phil mentally cringed at the idea of how much chaos would ensue, but with both of his pack-mates standing firm (although how Fury was pack, considering he was human, Phil didn’t know), he gave in.

“I’m driving,” Phil told Maria, in an attempt to seize back some control of the situation.

Maria smiled thinly.

“You haven’t learnt how to drive with were-velociraptor strength and reflexes, but if you want to be responsible for ripping out the steering wheel of the hire car, be my guest.”

Dammit.

Wait.

“Hire car?” Phil asked plaintively.

“There’s a mission not too far from your neighbourhood, so we’re hitching a lift on the quinjet part of the way,” Maria explained. “We’ll travel by hire car the for the rest of it."

Well. At least that was something, Phil thought morosely.

“Don’t you want to visit your own family on Christmas Day?” he tried.

Maria looked at him.

“Coulson, you’ve met my family.” _They’re all unsociable velociraptors_ went unsaid, but the sentiment was implied.

Phil sighed again, and resigned himself to the inevitable.

* * *

So, on Christmas Day, Phil found himself walking up the driveway to his sister’s house, Maria beside him.

He hesitated in ringing the doorbell. Maria pressed it for him, giving him a look. Phil smiled weakly.

A moment later the door was opened, and a teenage girl of about thirteen years old gaped in shock.

“Hello, Andrea,” said Phil into the silence.

“Oh my God!” Andrea screamed. “ _Uncle Phil!_ ”

She launched herself through the doorway at him, and it was only because he was expecting it that Phil caught her without either of them toppling backwards into the snow.

At Andrea’s shout, other family members began crowding into the front hall to see what was going on, and disbelieving shouts of “Phil!” soon filled the air.

Phil found himself surrounded on all sides, being hugged and slapped on the back by well-meaning relatives, feeling overwhelmed, while Maria stood off to one side, smirking.

A hush fell, and the small crowd around Phil parted for a small blonde woman who was staring Phil with equal parts disbelief, gratitude, and above it all, overwhelming rage.

Phil braced himself.

“Jeannie–”

“I thought you were _dead!_ ” Phil’s sister yelled, and slapped him hard across the face.

Phil almost snapped his jaws at her in an automatic response, but reeled himself in. Instead he stood, weathering the storm as Jeannie shouted at him.

“It’s been months, Phil, _months!_ They told us you died in the alien invasion! And you’ve been alive all this time? Where were you? Why didn’t you _tell_ me? I know you’ve been secretive ever since you left the army, but this? Why did you let me think you were dead?”

By the time she finished, Jeannie was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks. Phil forgot about his stinging cheek in the face of his sister’s devastation.

“Oh, Jeannie,” Phil murmured, and stepped forward to hug his sister. She hugged back tightly, and for a moment they stood there holding each other. Then Jeannie stepped back, glaring at him.

“Don’t think I’m not mad as hell, Philip John Coulson! You’re going to come inside and sit down, and explain exactly what you were thinking.”

“It wasn’t up to him,” Maria said, speaking up for the first time. Everyone turned to look at her, but the myriad gazes didn’t seem to bother her. “His survival was due to an experimental procedure, and he wasn’t cleared for regular interactions until very recently.”

Phil tried not to look as grateful for Maria’s intervention as he felt. Jeannie’s expression shifted from anger to alarm.

“You mean–” she began, eyes wide and horrified.

“Technically, I did die during the Chitauri invasion,” Phil told her gently. “Fortunately, they managed to revive me.”

Jeannie’s eyes filled with tears again as she realised how close she’d come to genuinely losing him, but she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, and smiled tremulously.

“Well,” she said, and then seemed to notice that her relatives were all standing around in the snow. “Come on, everyone back in the house, instead of standing around in the snow like idiots. And you,” she told Maria, “you can come in too, and explain exactly what happened to my brother.”

Phil and Maria exchanged glances, but followed Jeannie into the house.

Inside, it was pleasantly warm, and the house was full of festive decorations. The relatives who had stayed inside gawked at Phil in disbelief as Jeannie pushed him down into a chair.

“Uncle Phil!” Jason exclaimed happily, waving at him without any sign of surprise, and Phil wondered if his young nephew had understood that Phil had supposedly been dead all this time.

“Phil?” said a gruff voice, and Phil looked up to see his Uncle Jack pushing his way through everyone, his hands shaking as he stared at Phil. Phil’s eyebrows flew up in surprise as he smelled a strong gust of animal scent with his uncle’s arrival. He glanced at Maria, to see her looking just as surprised, something newly wary in her posture.

Uncle Jack stopped suddenly, and sniffed the air, his eyes widening. His gaze moved to Maria, and his eyes turned accusing and angry before he looked back at Phil.

“So that’s why they told us you were dead?” Uncle Jack demanded. “Because some woman who couldn’t keep herself to herself bit you?”

Phil didn’t need to look around to know that Maria’s face was fixed in an indignant snarl. Phil stayed very still, and spoke very calmly, not wanting to set either of them off.

“Actually, I was stabbed through the heart and lungs,” he said evenly. “That was why. An injection of Maria’s blood saved my life.”

Uncle Jack grunted, looking a little less accusatory, and gave Maria another once-over. She glared at him.

Uncle Jack looked back at Phil.

“Alright, then. Let’s see what you turn into.”

Half the room was full of confused faces, mostly the younger generations of the family, while the other half showed shocked comprehension. Phil glanced at Maria for help, unsure whether revealing his status as a were-velociraptor was a good idea, but Maria just stared blankly back at him, expression uncommunicative. The plan hadn’t been to reveal his status to his entire extended family, but there wasn’t much else Phil could do, under the circumstances, and it seemed like some of them already knew about weres, anyway.

So, hoping that this didn’t go too badly, Phil shifted into velociraptor form.

For a moment there was absolute silence, but for the sound of several astounded gasps. Then –

“ _Dinosaur!_ ” Jason shrieked joyfully.

Maria gave Jason a bemused look; knowing the hellions that were her nieces, nephews and young cousins, Phil could well imagine that Maria had never met a normal child before.

Before anyone could stop him Jason bounded over to Phil, all excited eagerness, and reached out to stroke Phil’s feathers.

“Wow, Uncle Phil,” he breathed. “You’re a _dinosaur!_ ”

Maria snorted and folded her arms, but relaxed a little.

Everyone else looked varying degrees of stunned or scared. Uncle Jack in particular looked like someone had slapped him with a fish.

“What _are_ you?” Uncle Jack asked hoarsely.

“He’s a were-velociraptor.” Maria’s voice was flat, but Phil knew her well enough to know that she was amused. “ _Jurassic_ _Park_ missed a lot of details, like the feathers.”

Phil shifted back to human. Jason made a disappointed noise, and Phil ruffled his hair absently.

“What are _you?_ ” he asked his uncle, because he still couldn’t identify the strong animal scent Uncle Jack carried with him.

Uncle Jack looked abashed.

“Werewolf,” he replied. “Got bit years ago, when you were a kid. Still have trouble controlling myself around the full moon, sometimes. You’re a were-dinosaur, then?” He shook his head, and said, half to himself, “Were-dinosaurs. Who knew?”

“What…” Jeannie was swaying on her feet. “What are you…”

“Easy, there,” Uncle Jack said, and hastily helped her to the couch, where Jeannie sank down like her legs had turned to jelly. “I asked your parents not to tell you kids. Figured it was better if you didn’t know.”

“We haven’t been kids for a long time,” Phil said mildly. A moment later he realised that he was baring his teeth, and closed his mouth hastily. Uncle Jack noticed.

“See you don’t have perfect control over it yet,” he said to Phil.

“There’s no such thing,” said Maria, still standing with her arms crossed, her expression difficult to interpret. “You’re implying that it’s something separate from Phil that he can control, rather than something he is. Of course he’s going to have different instincts and impulses before. In a sense, he’s just changed species. That doesn’t mean that there’s a problem.”

Uncle Jack looked at Maria. She stared him down. Uncle Jack looked away first, shoulders hunching as he took a step backwards.

“You were born this way, weren’t you?” he asked. “They all talk that way, the born ones, about how it’s not something to suppress, how it’s perfectly _normal_.” For a moment his lips curled back from his teeth in disgust. “Maybe normal to you, but never for the rest of us.”

Phil was surprised to realise how much he agreed with his uncle. At the same time, though, he could see Maria’s point, especially after living with her family. Maria’s family lived in perfect harmony with their nature, never having to fight themselves or try to be something they weren’t. It wasn’t a feasible lifestyle for most weres, but Phil could understand their choice.

Maria’s eyes were cool and indifferent as she looked at Uncle Jack.

“You’re entitled to your own opinion,” she said, and glanced at Phil.

Phil looked at Jeannie, who was staring at him.

“How do you feel about this?” he asked her.

“I don’t know how I feel.” Jeannie still looked shaken. “You’re…” She fell silent again, shaking her head.

Phil was surprised at his lack of guilt; but then, velociraptors tended to be pragmatic. And Phil was one of them, now. He couldn’t help being a were-velociraptor: there was no point in feeling guilty about it, even if it apparently upset his sister.

One of Phil’s cousins, Will, spoke up.

“Well, I for one think it’s amazing, although I’d prefer you never did that again while I was in the room. It felt like every hair on my body stood on end.”

There were a few scattered laughs at that. Jeannie gave a wobbly smile. Looking around at everyone’s faces – their expression concerned or impressed or simply stunned, still – Phil gauged the atmosphere of the room.

No one seemed about to panic. Maybe things would turn out to be okay.

Suddenly Jeannie leapt to her feet.

“ _Sh_ – _sugar!_ I forgot about the turkey!” she exclaimed, rushing for the kitchen. A couple of other relatives detached themselves from the crowd and followed, no doubt to help with food preparation and the proffering of unwanted advice.

Phil took Jeannie’s empty seat on the couch, and glanced at Maria. She was smiling, faintly, a barely-there smiled that Phil only recognised because of years of familiarity with her moods.

“Still think this is better than dealing with your family?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

Maria just raised a knowing eyebrow at him.

Phil had to agree. This was probably better.

 


End file.
